Helping military kids one kit at a time

The life of a military child is not an easy one. There are many bumps that come with the territory including moving every few years, parents being deployed, and so on. That's not even mentioning the general fear that comes along with knowing mom, dad, or both are in the business of putting themselves in harm's way. It's tough on kids, and military parents are always on the lookout for ways to help them cope.

Best-selling children's author Trevor Romain wants to help, which is why the veteran of the South African military co-founded The Comfort Crew For Military Kids. Along with speaking events for kids featuring Romain himself, the organization offers a variety of free kits that are aimed at helping military kids through difficult times.

"Each kit is designed specifically to tackle the subject that the kid might be going through," Romain explains. "Like a deployment, or reintegration when someone comes back. We even have a kit that helps kids who may have a wounded parent, or an injured parent, or a parent who is struggling with PTSD."

The kits include books, links to online material, videos, and perhaps most importantly "Cuzzie" the teddy bear/mascot of the Comfort Crew. Romain says the multifaceted approach has something for every child. He says the kits are designed based on the feedback from the kids themselves.

"What we do as adults so often is we say to kids 'don't worry, it's gonna be okay,'" Romain says. "That really doesn't help a kid feel okay, that helps you feel okay. So what we tried to do is listen to what kids are asking for instead of telling them what we think they need to hear."